How do I get light brown hair?

[Greenstone]

Like this kind of idea. (Hope the link works.)

My natural colour is probably an auburn-y medium brown. I dyed it darker for years and hairdressers usually try to guide me towards darker too. But I have been resisting for about a year or two, mostly because I am starting to get greys at the temples that really don't work with dark hair. :(

About 6 months I self-ombréd my hair with one of the L'Oreal kits. I did it very subtly and liked the results, and it got rid of some persistent darkness through the ends. And I've just come back from holiday and the sun lightened my hair naturally. Problem is of course it's now a brassy reddy kind of brown which doesn't look great with my colouring (I have pale cool/pinkish skin and freckles).

So, is there any way of getting this lovely youthful kind of ashy light brown? What would I ask for? Highlights, and if so, whereabouts and what kind of shades? Any advice from those in the know would be very much appreciated.

That models hair is really plain mouse brown if she didn't have blonde put in the ends and such a stunning face it would be really frumpy and dull. I would go for a packet of medium chocolatey brown to even it out if you dislike the red.

Inoa 5.0 shade is dark blonde but will give a nice and natural light brown. If you go for a supermarket medium brown it will go too dark and eventually darker in the ends than the roots.

I feel your pain OP - in fact, ARE you me? :-) Just back from hols and my hair has gone exactly the same way.. hate it!

I've just been to the hairdressers - emergency consultation! and I am booked in next week for ash tones to drown out the red/copper and slight highlights from underneath like this..

Oops sorry, photo here..

Though probs not as blond highlights..

Oooh... you are me OP. My hair has started to lighten itself, or so I thought.... then someone told me that Head and Shoulders shampoo strips the colour. I've been using it for the last few months and its given it sun-kissed highlighted with gold sort of look. Had loads of compliments and I've done nothing.

Ooh replies! Thanks and I'm so glad you know what mean.

Yes I know the model's hair is kind of mousy, that is totally the look I want (with some glimmering ends) - I think it looks very natural and youthful. Deffo no chocolate brown! That way another few years of too - dark hair lies.
I do kind of like the natural colour the sun has given me but would just like a bit of professional polish on it. Maybe will get some ash tones and upkeep with the dark blonde shade. Thanks a mil for recommendations!

Hi again, just bumping to see how HappyGirlNow got on at the hairdresser :) I have an appointment booked for Sat and realised I really need to get a lot cut off my hair so the look in the initial pic I linked to is probably out.

I haven't had a consultation and am still dithering over what to ask for. My hair does look a bit too light/coppery at the moment but I feel like if I give any indication towards bringing it down a bit, I will end up with too-dark hair again. I currently only have highlights (self-ombré) at the very ends of my hair, so not sure whether I should be asking for highlights as well as an all-over tint.

GAH!

Hey. They applied a light brown ashy permanent dye (think it was Wella) and it's worked really well.. There's still a very slight red tint under sunlight but I don't think that will ever go completely.. But the vast majority of the copper is away and my hair just looks like light/mid cool brown now

I got a few highlights underneath but they're very subtle and not that noticeable, might get more in the future..

Ah thanks that's great to hear. Glad you're happy!

My hair goes really brassy in the sun, and my hairdresser does her best to tone it back down with ashy colours. Never anything described as "warm". The colour at the moment is actually described as dark ask blonde, but is a light brown. I also have a few strands of the naturally highlighted hair left out to stop it looking too flat.

carrie that's good to know, that the dark ash blonde is more of a light brown in RL. I can see myself wavering between dark ash blonde and light ash brown when I'm sitting there in the chair!

So, at the moment you don't have highlights (just naturally highlighted bit from the sun) and you got an all-over colour on top of that?

probably too late now but you can get a clear glaze that conditions and adds shine to brighten hair if you like the current colour.

I've been trying to change my dark brown dyed hair gradually to a lighter colour due to greyness .

I've been using the SEMI-PERMANENT Nice n Easy colour called Light Ash Brown which works well, as it covers to the grey hairs but doesn't change the rest too much. It sort of fades out over about 4 or 5 weeks.